The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-01-08
The Famous Emotional Actress Under
Her Own Vine and Fig Tree-How she
Enjoys Lile-Iatellectunl Quaiities-A
Devoted Husband.

Persons not acquainted with Miss Morris
might suppose, from her highly emotional
acting, that she was hardly of domestic
turn but she loves her home and stays in it
more than almost any woman of the drama
l likencd hermode of life somewhat to PATHS,
who has Il castle in Wales and comes down TO
London to sing, often by express train, and
goes back between her nights. Mr.. Harriet,
her husband, bought place of about three
acres and a half, in the midst of fine country
estates, and only few rods back OF the llui-
son river. He rents, besideI, about eighteen
acres of ground for $50 a year, whore he
makes crops and has hay and pasture They
keep five servants on the grounds, raise fruits,
berries and fancy things; have five or six
vehicles in the stables, and keep both saddle
and carriage horses. She is fine rider, and
often Gocs over that high, infatuating coun-
try. The house is embowered in hedge, stone
wall and shrubbery, and is frame house,
lined with brick, quite compact and rest
giving. In front is u narrow, high porch,
with easy seats for loungins on the sid''
toward the city is porte cochere, and on the
northern side is n glass veranda.
Entering Clara Morris house, you notice
that there are fine dogs around, both for
watching and for pets. BY the way, one of
the men had been bitten by dog a day or
two before. In that part of the country they
seem to keep SO many dogs that they are ell,
tcring the demcsncs of the neighbors, and
sometimes come in to bite. There is broad
hall in the house, and on the right is a con-
versatiOn room, filled with souvenirs Of the
stage. sketch books, albums presents from
3
vases about as high as grown man. In the
rear Of this room is the dining room, retired
from access, and very cozy and agreeable
Across the hall, in the front, is Mr.. Har-
riots literary and correspondence room
The cellar contains a wine closet and a fine
larder
FAITHFUL. HUSBAND.
Mr. Harriet is a good business man and
housekeeper; he manages the infinite amount
of correspondence required to make the en-
gagements of his wife, and goes along to SUI
perintcnd both her health and her playing
She travels with a company, and the procur-
ing of this and keeping things in order occu-
pies u mans whole time from September until
April Mr.. Harriet says that there are more
theatres being erected in America now than
ut any time i'll his experience, and that nearly
every theatre wants some prominent star to
come ana open it, SO that he is beset
There is hardly any actress of our day with
the literary qualifications Of Clara Morris
This is the more remarkable because her
health is very precarious Nevertheless she
, looks better now than for the past ten years
her flesh seems harder, the lines OF her inter.
eSting face more expressive, and she has re-
| markably seeing eyes, which not only carry
mental force, but a certain kind of inspiration
In her conversation she Is very original, is an
excellent critic and is quite capable of taking
a play to pieces and transposing it so a. to
mend the defects OF the author who may
have made an ant-climax when she can see u
chance for "a climax She desires to play
come new parts but the demand is greater
for her to continue in the roles she has been
giving for almost twenty years. think she
i, about IS years old, but ut home she looks
to be young girl who had hardly yet Ell
tered upon married life. Her mother, Mrs,
Morris, is II quiet, happy -natured woman
greatly absorbed in her daughter. Gath"
| Letter.